UFCW Locals 175 & 633 support new bill to make unionization easier

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 5, 2017) - The United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 175 & 633 supports the amendments contained in the Fairness in First Contracts and the Right to Representation Act 2017, which was introduced to the Ontario legislature yesterday. The Local Union welcomes any legislation that helps workers regain rights and achieve new protections.

"We strongly support the principles of card check and first contract arbitration, and urge all parties to advance these principles whether through a private member's bill or through the Changing Workplaces Review," said UFCW Local 175 President Shawn Haggerty. "What's important at the end of the day is that Ontario's working families achieve these rights."

The bill would return card check certification, a system of unionization that allows workers to democratically join a Union without harassment or intimidation from their employer, as well as provide a better model to achieve a first contract that provides workers the protections of being covered by a collective agreement.

"The removal of card check by the Conservatives was not just an attack on organized labour, but an attack on all workers in Ontario," said Haggerty. "The result of restricting workers' rights to unionize has been the clear downward spiral of working conditions. It's time to reverse that trend and put the rights of working people ahead of profit."

Studies have linked unionization rates with improved workers' compensation. Statistics Canada has stated that on average unionized workers make $5 per hour more than non-union workers. Work has become more and more precarious in Ontario and workers need to have access to Unions to have power to bargain with their employer.

UFCW Locals 175 & 633 represents more than 70,000 Union members working across Ontario and is the leading Union for retail and commercial workers.